The trio simultaneously glowed in a myriad of colors before dissipating into tiny particles.
Shesmu’s eyes opened within a capsule. He was naked, his body submerged in a light brown fluid. Being in that liquid gave him a sense of peace, alone with his darkness. He could scream if he wanted, cry and lash out at the world, and the noise cancellers would make no one the wiser. Yet , he didn’t. Despite most of his interaction with his daughter being an act, it healed him.. At least enough so that he didn’t focus on the pain, but on the future.
In his mind he issued the command for the capsule to open which swiftly obliged. The room was dimly lit. It was no use to waste energy on light when its only use was to host his VR capsule. He sat up, put his ready-made clothes on, and exited the room.
He entered the hallway and from the corner of his eyes, he could see his wife walking up the stairs to the master bedroom. Usually, he would trail after her, but tonight, he needed to take a detour. Right in front of the gaming room was a pink door. Stickers of many different characters were stuck onto it. However, the biggest sticker of all had one name written in bold all over it: Eva.
Shesmu opened it, and was greeted by a mountain of toys. From princess dolls to plushies of magical cats and bears, there wasn’t one single spot in the room where he could take a step without stepping on something.
“Eva, how many times have I told you to put your toys back in the drawer when you finish playing with them? Honestly, all it takes is one command, how can you be so lazy?” Shesmu’s tone was a mix of reprimand and bemusement.
Muffled noises sounded out from below the mountain of plushies. Cats and wolves flew in all directions as Eva swam up the hundreds of toys and finally regained her breath.
“Papa, I’m sowwy… I just, kinda, forgot…”
Looking at Eva’s puffed face atop the mountains of toys, Shesmu couldn’t help but laugh softly. He freed her from the clutch of the little devils and carried her in his arms.
“It’s okay, sweetie. Let’s clean up this mess, okay?”
“Okay,” Eva replied. “Melon-chan! Can you clean up this mess, please?”
‘Hai! I’ll do it just for you~’
A cute, squeaky voice sounded out from the depth of Shesmu’s mind. The pink room turned neon orange. The lower parts of all four walls opened like doors of a closet. The myriad of plushies, dolls, and toys gravitated towards the openings like metal to a magnet. Within ten seconds the messy room turned clean.
“And that’s a job well done. See? Doesn’t take much effort to go from a zoo to a civilized society. Honestly, I wouldn’t have been surprised if a monkey jumped from one of those corners.” While in the midst of his lecture, Shesmu felt the weight on his shoulder increase. He looked at Eva and saw her leaning on his shoulder, using it as a pillow to sleep on.
“Hey, hey, weren’t we supposed to tell the story of the king and the blacksmith?” His words were soft, afraid to wake up his princess from her sleep.
“Well, maybe another time…” Carefully he placed her on the bed and covered her with a sky blue blanket.
“L—love you… papa.” Her barely discernible mumbling warmed Shesmu’s heart, bringing a smile to his face.
“Love you too, sweetie.” He kissed Eva goodnight on the forehead before switching off the light. Leaving his daughter’s room, he climbed up the stairs and entered the master bedroom.
Sophie was still in her underwear, in the middle slipping into her pajamas. She was beautiful, her dark brown hair reaching to her waist. She looked back at Shesmu and smiled.
“So, did she like the tale of Kaleh?”
“She didn’t get the chance to. I was barely at the start and she was already off to neverland.”
Sophie chuckled at the response. She was already done putting on her clothes and slid into the bed. Shesmu quickly followed suit.
“You know, Eva had lots of fun today. She kept watching you guys, mouth open, for the whole day. It’s as if she saw real-life heroes battling in front of her.”
Shesmu smiled. Even though his heart still clenched in pain, his smile remained. Which father wouldn’t smile at the thought of his daughter? He looked at Sophie before leaning in and playing with the strands of her hair with his hand.
“She too will become one.”
“You are her hero. Strong, untouchable and unbeatable.” Her hand caressed Shesmu’s face gently and her eyes glistened with a thousand emotions. Her fingers then traced their way from his neck and into his torso, pointing at his heart. “But I know that down here, you’re hurt…”
Shesmu leaned in closer, his hands reached in farther, holding onto her back. Their legs coiled around one another, searching for warmth. Their breaths intertwined, and their eyes connected.
“Sophie, it’s hard. Allan—Allan has been there for me since before I can even remember. He was always there, in the background, protecting me. He was my guardian angel. He was there when I knew nothing, when I had nothing to offer, and he guided me. He was there when we were at the top of our glory, and my confidants were conspiring to betray me. He was protecting me. Without Allan, there is no BlackMoon.”
Sophie stayed silent. She knew that Shesmu wasn’t finished. .
“Sophie, you know why I called the meeting tomorrow?” Shesmu’s voice was soft, breathy, and full of affection.
Sophie pinched his forehead and chuckled. “Silly you, for how long do you think we’ve been married? Of course I know…” Sophie’s voice was soft like the summer breeze. Shesmu could no longer hold his instincts and deeply kissed her.
“Tomorrow, you’re going to protect him. Like he always protected you.” Her finger ran up Shesmu’s chest slowly, and back to his neck. She leaned in, her breath tickling his ear.
“Tomorrow, you’re going to gather everyone, all of our friends, and do the one thing you should have done long ago. Disband the team.”
Her words hit him like a backdrop. There was no need for a response because she was right. Shesmu would disband the team and start a new journey. But the only thing he could focus on now was her. Her beautiful face, her small upturned nose, her emerald eyes, and long, silky hair. She was breathtaking, even more than when he first proposed to her, eight years ago.
Their lips met, brushing softly, delicate like flaps of the butterfly’s wings. He inhaled deeply. It was just long enough that he could inhale her own breath. Her sweet, sweet breath. He hungrily went for more. His hand gripped the back of her head firmly, afraid to let go. His tongue dug deeper searching for treasure in the deep, dark sea. But here she was, his treasure.
Sophie chuckled. Her deep, kind voice soothing his heart. But she didn’t say anything. Words were unnecessary. They both knew exactly what the other felt. That’s precisely why Shesmu couldn’t help but fall head over heels over her all over again.
And as such, they continued. Cuddled, hugged, and kissed until they could no more. By the end, when their eyelashes were too heavy to bear, their hands reached out for each other, and their fingers intertwined one last time.
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